Gaza Latest (13 June): Rumblings of the Next Flotilla

1400 GMT: Mahmoud Abbas denied that he had asked Obama to prevent the lifting of the naval blockade on Gaza. However, Netanyahu, during a meeting of Likud ministers, said that he supports easing the three-year blockade Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip, but that he would not approve the lifting of the naval blockade.

1315 GMT: U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice has said there should be international participation in Israel's investigation into its raid of the flotilla. Israel's vice premier Dan Merridor replied: "There will be international elements in the commission which is going to be formed. For the moment it is not totally clear but the commission will be composed of five Israelis and two or three foreigners."

1245 GMT: Nabila Abu Rdineh, spokesman for Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, said in an interview with local newspaper al-Ayyam, that an international mechanism to end the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip might be formed within a few days. He added: "President Abbas told the U.S. administration that lifting the Gaza blockade is not less important than peace talks."

However, the issue is more complicated than it seems. On Wednesday, following President Barack Obama's political support for the "unsustainable" situation in Gaza along with $400 million pledge to Gazans, Abbas told Obama that the easing of the siege should not bolster Hamas. His suggestion was not to end the naval siege by Israel for the time being.

1200 GMT: Former MP George Galloway is planning a land and sea convoy in September. He said: "Following our negotiations in Istanbul, I can announce to you that the day after Ramadan [September 10], two mighty convoys, one by sea and one by land, will begin. The land convoy will leave from London, will travel though Europe, Turkey, Syria and Jordan, and it will sail from Aqaba to Sinai and enter the gates of Rafah, and I ask the Egyptian government, in the name of millions of people, open those gates and let the convoy through."

1130 GMT: An EA reader has just reported that 70 Iranian MPs are also volunteered to aboard.

1100 GMT: The Israeli Defense Ministry has announced that Defense Minister Ehud Barak will stay in Israel while the government creates a committee to investigate the raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla. He was supposed to be present at a new Israeli booth at the Eurosatory 2010 air show in Paris and to meet French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Barak took a decision following pro-Palestinian groups' threats that they would do their best to bring Barak to be justice for his alleged war crimes.

The former commander of the navy and Shin Bet, Ami Ayalon, also called on Barak to "accept responsibility for the consequences of the decision to raid flotilla" and to resign.

1045 GMT: The Voice of Israel reports that the Turkish delegation announced two weeks ago that it wasn’t coming to the conference on International Holocaust Education organized by Yad VaShem (Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority).

1030 GMT:  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the former Supreme Court chief justice Yaakov Tirkel will be appointed to head an investigation into Israeli Defense Forces' operation to Freedom Flotilla.

0900 GMT: Agence France Presse reports that the Iranian Red Crescent equipped and loaded two ships with aid and is awaiting the permission of the Foreign Ministry to set sail to Gaza. Iranian officials claim that 100.000 people have already volunteered to go aboard.

On Thursday, Israel's Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center warned that extremist Islamic organizations were planning to send more ships to the Gaza Strip.

0800 GMT: The head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, is the first senior Arab official visiting Gaza since 2007. He met with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas at the Rafah crossing, which Egypt is still keeping "temporarily" open,before seeing Hamas officials today to find a basis for the continuation of the reconciliation talks. Moussa said, "This blockade which we are all here to confront must be broken and the position of the Arab League is clear."

Comments

[Catherine]

Arshama,
The JP article quotes an Iranian Red Crescent official, Mojtaba Majd, as saying that the "problems involved may prevent Iran from sending volunteers".. so WHO are they going to send on the ships - the Navy? That's not exactly the same as humanitarian aid workers ;-).

[Arshama]

Catherine,

Here is my favourite list of volunteers to set sail to Gaza: SL and his son Mojtaba, AN, his peach and ministers, IRGC commanders, Bassiji commanders, police commanders, the Larijani Brothers and some Friday Prayers. Somewhere en route a small "accident" happens -- pouf -- and the ship gets drowned ;-)

Arshama

[Catherine]

Arshama,
He-he. If that's what the passenger list ends up being, I have no doubt the Israelis will attach their paintball shooters to Exocet missles instead of rifles. That way the video released will still show that the paintballs went in first! Green, I suspect, would be the colour of choice. ;-)

[Gunniy]

Hi Arshama
normaly I agree with your comments - but why did you forget to put the crocodile - Mezbah Yazdi on the official list? I think he deserves a special place on the sinking ship, too. By the way - I really don`t know if he is a Friday Prayer or not. Do you think if there is a possibility to call him up for a late replacement for the blacklist?

[Catherine]

I was joking about what the Israelis would do if the Iranian aid ship had Arshama's dream passengers on it, but it turns out to be plausible:

Israeli Official Threatens to Kill Turkish PM
Uzi Dayan, former deputy Chief of General Staff in Israel, said the Jewish state should consider a possible Turkish military escort of Gaza aid ships an act of war. “If the Turkish prime minister joins such a flotilla,” Dayan told Israeli army radio, according to the Jerusalem Post, “we should make clear beforehand this would be an act of war, and we would not try to take over the ship he was on, but would sink it.”
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=NIM20100610&articleId=19661" rel="nofollow">http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=...

[WitteKr]

RE 1245: "... an international mechanism to end the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip might be formed within a few days." Nabila Abu Rdineh, spokesman for Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, as quoted by Xinhua press agency, could be referring to this:

"Britain and Switzerland have each circulated confidential plans that call for a high-tech monitoring system that would place foreign customs officers at Gaza's border crossings while allowing Israel and Egypt to track their work through a system of remote cameras, Global Positioning Systems, and inspections of sensitive building materials with a potential military application."

It was mentioned as an Exclusive on Colum Lynch Foreign Policy weblog Turtle Bay, last Thursday. "U.S. President Barack Obama called [last] week for a "new conceptual framework" for replacing Israel's 3-year-old blockade on the Gaza Strip, setting the stage for a European plan to establish a new international transit authority responsible for monitoring the movement of food, people, and construction materials entering and leaving the Palestinian territory, according to confidential documents reviewed by Turtle Bay."

http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/06/10/exclusive_foreign_occupation_by_remote_control" rel="nofollow">http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/0...

[Catherine]

RE 1245 GMT: However, Abbas told Obama that the easing of the siege should not bolster Hamas. His suggestion was not to end the naval siege by Israel for the time being.

Oh goodie, goodie! Now we'll be treated to Tehran slamming the PA :-).

[Arshama]

Gunni and Catherine,

My apologies for having forgot the crocodile.
Green paintballs would be excellent, but Exocet missiles appear rather outdated to me. Perhaps attached to a SRBM Jericho or a Trident, but I'm no expert.

Speaking of green, this goes to all prisoners of this regime, whom I wish to be freed soon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSajFnkUxQY" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSajFnkUxQY

Arshama

[wdavit]

Gotta love it the Iranian regime apologist George Galloway wants on the next convoy. Remember this is the same guy who defended the regime on PressTV numerous times after the election. You can watch his videos on youtube and it is quite funny to watch him deflect for the regime. Lets hope the IDF finds out which ship he, AN, IRGC, and Basiji are on and sends it to the bottom of the ocean. Yes I said that! I am sick and tired of the duplicity when it comes to Gaza. Yes the blockade needs to end but I absolutely hate people who uphold evil dictatorships then try to act like world renowned humanitarians by helping Gaza. These people all to often ignore their own transgressions yet in an effort to deflect are the first to jump on board in the guise of "good" people. Just sick!

Thx
Bill

[perry1949]

President Ahmadinejad raised the spectre of a sea battle as he warned the ships would be carrying an escort of “volunteer marines” ready to “teach Israelis a lesson”.[url]http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/180605/Sea-battle-fear-as-Iran-sends-flotilla-to-Gaza[/url]